The present invention relates generally to spreading or distributing machines operable to spread fine material, such as grass clippings or sand, over the surface of the ground, and, more particularly, to improvements in a brush-type material distributor to enhance the precise spreading of such fine materials.
Prior art spreading or distributing machines are provided with a container to hold a supply of fine material to be spread over the ground and a conveyor cooperable with the container to move amounts of the material to a distributing mechanism that engages the material and effects a discharge thereof from the container over the surface of the ground in a desired spread pattern. The distributing mechanism is typically an impact-type mechanical device, such as a beater or distributing disc, that engages the material to be distributed and centrifugally throws the material from the machine toward the ground.
It has been found that a better spread pattern can be obtained with fine material by the utilization of a brush-type distributing mechanism such as found on street sweepers or the like. One such brush-type distributing mechanism can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,145 as part of a compost spreading machine. This particular machine utilizes a brush-type distributer to shred across the face of the material in the container and discharge the engaged material to the ground. This particular distributing mechanism has limited ability to break up clumps of the fine material in the container and to effect a wide discharge of material from the container. Furthermore, there is a limited ability to handle a wide variety of fine materials because of the lack of a metering device to limit the engagement of the material with the distributor in instances where the fine material has flow characteristics somewhat like a liquid.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a machine for the precise distribution of fine material that would effectively spread fine material over the surface of the ground in a spread pattern wider than the overall width of the machine and which would be useable with a variety of fine materials irrespective of the tendency of the material to clump together.